NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The fate of hundreds of school leavers in a sluggish economy still being impacted by the global COVID-19 pandemic is a “major concern”, Labour Director John Pinder acknowledged yesterday.
Pinder noted: “It is a major concern. We know we have an unemployment rate high due to Dorian and pandemic.
“There are students who left school last year and I’m not sure how many were able to get into universities abroad due to the pandemic.
“The University of The Bahamas can only take so many and for those entering the job market right away, the tourism sector, which usually absorbs a lot of persons, is not doing well right now.
“There won’t be many opportunities there until things start to improve in that sector.”
He added: “I’m not sure what exactly the government’s plans are. I hope that those persons perhaps look for jobs in the digital space and try to seek out the necessary qualifications for those types of jobs.
“It’s also time for Bahamians to seriously look at our natural resources and realize that our richest resource is the ocean.”
Many Bahamians remain unemployed due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, further underscoring the challenges this nation faces with unemployment.
Minister of State for Finance and for Grand Bahama Kwasi Thompson recently told Eyewitness News that while a Labour Force Survey will not be completed this year due to the focus of the Department of Statistics shifting to undertake the population census, his ministry will use alternative measures to determine unemployment in The Bahamas.
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